Tiara
by Twilight Writing Contest
Summary: Entry 18: By belle199. "Edward and Bella's daughter, Claire, try to give her the princess wedding she deserves  since last time she was pregnant and they didn't have enough money."


We were sitting around the kitchen table, me with my laptop and my beautiful daughter with her pencil. I was reviewing a contract while my little girl was painstakingly writing her classmates' names on her Disney Princess Valentine's cards.

Yes, this was serious business.

"You know the answer to that," I teased her. "How many times have you watched our wedding video?"

"Thousands and thousands of times." Her eyes never left her task…her face contorting in concentration as she struggled with the next name on her class list. "Xavier is a weird name."

"I bet Xavier is a nice boy, though."

She shrugged. At seven years old, she was still uninterested in the opposite sex. Her mother assures me this won't always be the case.

"Why didn't she wear a tiara?"

Claire had been going through her princess phase since preschool. Thank God for Flynn Ryder and Maximus, otherwise I never would have made it through ten thousand viewings of Tangled.

"Because Mommy didn't marry a prince," I said softly.

Instead, Mommy married her high school sweetheart who couldn't afford to give her the wedding of her dreams. She'd had to settle for a small ceremony in front of the justice of the peace.

When you're eighteen, and two months pregnant, you don't have money for things like tiaras.

"You're a prince now," Claire said with a sweet smile. "We live in a castle, Daddy."

I grinned. "Not quite, baby."

Granted, we'd worked hard, and with our parents help, we'd both graduated college. I'd opened my law practice and Bella was spending her days teaching first graders.

"Mommy should have had a tiara."

Yes, Mommy should have.

I was just making some last minute changes to the contract on my screen when an idea slowly began to take shape in my mind.

Mommy could have a tiara now.

Valentine's Day was coming up after all, and I'd yet to buy Bella a gift. I always sent roses to school and did something special that night, but maybe this year should be a little different.

"Claire?"

She looked up from her card.

"Will you help me with Mommy's Valentine's Day present?"

Her beautiful brown eyes sparkled, and she nodded enthusiastically.

"It's a secret, though," I cautioned her. "Can you keep a secret?"

I could see the indecision on her face. Keeping a secret from Mommy would be complicated. Their bond was undeniable, and we'd had many discussions about honesty.

"This is a good secret?"

"A very good secret," I promised her.

It was perfect, actually. I loved Bella more than I ever thought possible. She deserved this.

"What is it?"

I made a big production of looking over my shoulder to make sure no one was listening, and Claire giggled.

"We're going to ask Mommy to marry me," I whispered, "and this time, she's going to wear a tiara."

"Who wants another cupcake?" I shouted over the excitement.

Party days, as fun as they could be, were hell on a teacher. Thank goodness for room mothers, otherwise I never would have survived it. My first graders were seated at their desks, sharing their Valentine's cards and making complete messes of their clothes as they polished off the cupcakes I'd spent hours frosting the night before.

"Just one more hour," Angela, one of my moms, said with a grin.

"I can handle one more hour," I said.

I loved my job, but I couldn't deny I was excited to get out of here today. The two dozen roses on my desk stood beautiful and bright, and I couldn't help but smile as butterflies floated in my stomach. Edward had always been romantic, but especially so on Valentine's Day. Flowers were his tradition, but the tiara-shaped card in this year's bouquet hinted at something special for tonight.

Your prince requests your presence tonight.

Wear the blue dress and the silver shoes.

Love always,

Edward

It was obvious which line of the note was Claire's influence, and which was my husband's insatiable desire to see me in the blue dress he loves so much.

I don't know why I bother. It never stays on long.

"Mrs. Cullen, you're blushing."

Grinning like a fool, I took a deep breath to control the butterflies and focused my attention on my little ones once again.

I placed the little diamond studs in my ears and checked my image in our full-length mirror. The dress clung to my curves, and there were many curves thanks to the birth of our beautiful daughter. Even after seven years, I still had them, and I couldn't hate them. After all, they'd brought me her, and Edward loved his hands on me. Granted, he'd always loved touching me, but now that there was a little more to explore, he was like a starving man in a desert.

Always.

"How did I get so lucky?" I whispered to the girl in the mirror.

"I ask myself that very same question every day," Edward said, coming up behind me and placing his hands on my waist. He was in his tux, looking far more handsome than he should.

"I can't believe you're mine," I said softly, not really meaning to say it aloud.

His smile was breathtaking as he kissed my exposed shoulder. His eyes found mine in the mirror.

"I can't believe you're mine," Edward repeated with a murmur.

I trembled as his nose glided along my neck, his lips nipping softly at the skin there. My stomach clenched as his fingers skimmed the bodice of my dress.

Was it normal to still want each other so much? We'd been together so long, and we'd seen our friends go through the ups and downs of marriage. Some of them were still married; others weren't so lucky. And yet, here we were, as crazy about each other as we'd been since the day we met in Biology class.

"This dress was a bad idea."

"I disagree," Edward said, sliding his fingers along the fabric around my waist. "It's perfect for what I have planned."

"What do you have planned?"

"It's a secret, Bella."

"But it's a good secret!" Claire shouted excitedly from the hallway. Edward and I laughed, and I was thankful that the door was closed. Seeing Daddy grope Mommy in a very inappropriate way wouldn't be good at all.

Turning around in his arms, I reached for this crooked bowtie.

"Oh, I see," I said, pretending to be hurt as I straightened it. "The two of you are keeping secrets from me."

"You won't be disappointed," he whispered, kissing me softly. A flicker of doubt crept across his face. "At least, I hope you won't be."

Smiling softly, I brushed my lips against his.

"I won't be."

Panic.

For just a moment, I panicked.

What if she said no?

But then I realized how ridiculous I was being.

Of course she'd say yes.

Right?

As we walked down the stairs, I considered the possibility that she might say no. Sure, she'd said yes all those years ago. Back then, I had no job and no real plans for the future except to be with her.

All I'd ever wanted was to be with her.

Claire made that happen. It would have happened anyway, but a baby on the way had sent those wedding plans into overdrive.

We had no regrets. Not one.

But would she do it all over again, if given the chance?

Linking her arm through mine, we made our way down the stairs. Standing at the bottom, was our beautiful little girl. She was dressed in her Cinderella costume from last Halloween with a tiara perched on top of her head.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Mommy."

Claire handed her the yellow rose, and Bella leaned down to kiss her cheek.

"Thank you, sweetheart."

Our daughter took each of our hands and led us toward the living room. It had taken a lot of coaxing to convince Bella to stay in the bedroom while we decorated. Streamers hung everywhere and silver and purple balloons glitter.


End file.
